Jeanette and I traveled with the Centerfield Homemakers travel club to Erie, Pennsylvania. Our destination was not announced as this was to be a mystery trip. The bus headed west from Canandaigua along the New York Thruway. We have passed by Erie many many times in our travels but have never actually visited the city of Erie which is the fourth largest city in Pennsylvania.
The Erie Land Lighthouse was the first lighthouse on the Great Lakes authorized by Congress in 1812. The current structure was constructed in 1867 and the beacon served until 1899. The lantern was transferred to the Marblehead Lighthouse in Ohio.
Just across the Erie Bay, one can see the Black & White Lighthouse on the North Pier to Presque Isle Bay. This smaller lighthouse is made out of cast iron and was forged in France to replace a wooden beacon which was destroyed by a schooner in an 1857 storm.
The Lighthouse on Presque Isle sits on the Erie Lake side of Presque Isle. It was built in 1872 and is currently functional. The residence at the lighthouse is occupied and one can only look at the structure.
James R. Bupp
Dr. Bupp,
You apparently are a lighthouse lover & live somewhere in the Finger Lakes Region. I am a lighthouse historian & author & am seeking help researching Finger Lakes light towers & light keepers. There were several towers in the 1800’s & early 1900’s, in addition to the steel skeleton towers that replaced them & lasted ’til the 1990’s. Finding detailed info & pics is extremely difficult. If you would be willing to help do local research, please contact me. David Cook facebook.com/lighthousesoftheempirestate
David,
I live in Canandaigua, NY which is about 45 minutes from Rochester. My main interest is in the industries and the people in the Finger Lakes region who manufactured goods during the early days of the industrial revolution. I spent my professional career working at IBM Endicott, NY and now I enjoy visiting and learning about the history of manufacturing which occurred right here in the Finger Lakes. Several years ago, I took at trip to Eire, PA. with a group of seniors and we visited some of the historical places in Eire. I used what I learned about the light houses to write an article on my blog http://www.fll360.com.
I am interested in writing and have published a little book myself on my life growing up on a family farm. Perhaps I might be able to spend a little time in helping with your research on light houses. The best place to contact me is jbupp@rochester.rr.com.